The present invention relates to seat assemblies for vehicles, comprising a removable seat assembled on guide rails.
More particularly, the invention concerns a vehicle seat assembly, comprising:
at least one first guide rail including a fixed section which is intended to be integral with the vehicle floor and which extends in a longitudinal direction, said fixed section comprising a longitudinal edge, and a seat having at least one first foot which is assembled in a removable manner on the guide rail to enable the seat to be vertically detached from the guide rail, said first foot comprising a coupling lock which is movable between a locked position where said coupling lock engages with the guide rail to make said first foot integral with said guide rail and a withdrawn position where said first foot can separate vertically from the guide rail, said seat having control means for moving said coupling lock between said locked and withdrawn positions.
Document FR-A-2 700 735 describes an example of such a seat assembly, in which the guide rail comprises a movable section which is sliding assembled along the fixed section, this movable section being able to be immobilized by a guide rail lock which is carried by aforesaid guide rail and which is controlled by a guide rail control device assembled on the seat.
The arrangements proposed in the aforementioned document require that the guide rail control device be perfectly connected with the guide rail lock when the seat is reassembled on its guide rail after having been removed. This requirement causes significant constraints on the seat design, particularly if it is desired to assemble the seat facing towards either the front or rear of the vehicle.
Moreover, the seat assembly described in the aforementioned document as also the disadvantage that the restraining forces of the seat are passed through the movable section: this imposes a sufficient sizing of this movable section and its connections with the seat and with the fixed section, which tends to again increase the cost of the seat assembly.
The present invention has the particular object of easing these disadvantages.
To this end, a first object of the invention is a seat assembly comprising: at least one first guide rail including a fixed section which is intended to be integral with the vehicle floor and which extends in a longitudinal direction, said fixed section comprising a longitudinal edge, and a seat having at least one first foot which is assembled in a removable manner on the guide rail to enable the seat to be vertically detached from the guide rail, said first foot comprising a coupling lock which is movable between a locked position where said coupling lock engages with the guide rail and a withdrawn position where said first foot can separate vertically from the guide rail, said seat having a control device for moving said coupling lock between said locked and withdrawn positions, wherein the coupling lock includes a first jaw part which extends downward from said first foot to a coupling claw, the first jaw part being pivotally mounted about a jaw rotation axis parallel to the longitudinal direction, said coupling lock engaging under said longitudinal edge of the fixed section when the coupling lock is in its locked position, thus preventing vertical separation of said first foot and the fixed section, and said coupling claw being sufficiently separated from the fixed section when the coupling lock is in its withdrawn position so that said coupling claw does not interfere with said fixed section during vertical separation of said first foot and said fixed section, and wherein said longitudinal edge of the fixed section delimits an open space which is situated underneath said longitudinal edge, said open space being arranged to enable said coupling claw to move in said open space during longitudinal movement of the seat.
By means of these arrangements the problems of the prior art relative to the separation of the guide rail lock and its control device when the seat is removed are avoided.
Moreover, the anchoring of the seat foot is made directly on the fixed section, which reinforces the solidity of the anchoring of the seat on the vehicle floor.
Furthermore, the guide rail movable section is totally eliminated, which decreases the cost of the seat assembly. Thus, the guide rail of the seat assembly according to the invention has a size reduced to the absolute minimum and does not give any discomfort to the vehicle passengers when the seat is removed. In the preferred embodiments of the invention, recourse may possibly by had moreover to one and/or other of the following arrangements as described below. In one embodiment, the first jaw part may be adapted to cooperate with the fixed section to prevent longitudinal movement of the seat when the coupling lock is in its locked position. The control device may be adapted to raise the first jaw part to apply the coupling claw of the first jaw part under the longitudinal edge of the fixed section, with clamping, when the first jaw part is in its locked position, thereby preventing longitudinal movement of the seat. The fixed section may include notches which are arranged under the longitudinal edge of said fixed section and the coupling claw may have upwardly directed teeth which are adapted to engage in the notches when the coupling lock is in its locked position, thereby preventing longitudinal movement of the seat. The control device may be adapted to move the coupling lock between the locked position, the withdrawn position, and an intermediate position where the first jaw part is in a sliding position and where the coupling claw of said first jaw part protrudes under the longitudinal edge of the fixed section, thereby preventing vertical separation of said first foot from the fixed section, but where the first jaw part is sufficiently separated from the fixed section to enable longitudinal movement of the seat. The control device may include a transverse control shaft which is pivotally mounted relative to the seat and which is movable between first and second positions corresponding respectively to the locked and withdrawn positions of the coupling lock.
In some embodiments, the seat assembly may further comprise a first control cam which is fixed to the transverse control shaft and which is arranged radially relative to the transverse control shaft. The first control cam may be adapted to pivot the first jaw part to a withdrawn position corresponding to the withdrawn position of the coupling lock when the control shaft is in its first position. The first control cam may be arranged to not interfere with the first jaw part when the transverse control shaft is in its second position, and the coupling lock may be resiliently assisted to its locked position. The first jaw part may be further slidingly mounted within the first foot in a substantially vertical direction.
In some embodiments, the seat assembly may further comprise a second control cam which is fixed to the transverse control shaft and which is arranged radially relative to the transverse control shaft. The second control cam may engage with the first jaw part to raise the first jaw part and, thus, apply the coupling claw of the first jaw part under the longitudinal edge of the fixed section with clamping when the transverse control shaft is in its first position, and may lower the first jaw part to enable longitudinal movement of the seat when the control shaft is in an intermediate position between its first and second positions. The longitudinal edge of the fixed section may have a longitudinal groove facing downward and the coupling claw may have a nose which projects upwardly and which is adapted to engage in the longitudinal groove when the control shaft is in its first position. The fixed section may comprise a body at least partially made of aluminum and a folded steel sheet which partially covers the body and which comprises notches. The coupling claw of the first jaw part may be adapted to engage with the notches when the coupling lock is in its locked position. The coupling lock may include only the first jaw part.
In some embodiments, the seat assembly may further comprise a second guide rail including a fixed section which is similar to the fixed section of the first guide rail. The seat assembly may further comprise at least a second foot which is assembled in a vertically removable manner on the foot section of the second guide rail by an additional first jaw part which has a coupling claw. The coupling claws of the first jaw parts of the first and second feet may extend in mutually opposite directions so that the coupling claws of the first and second feet both face inwardly or outwardly. More specifically, the mutually opposite facing directions of the jaw parts includes embodiments in which the jaw parts are oriented to face toward each other (as shown) and embodiments in which the jaw parts face away from each other (not shown). The fixed section may have a substantially upward opening U section, with a substantially horizontal base and two substantially vertical webs. One of the webs may comprise the longitudinal edge which projects towards the other web. The first jaw part may be adapted to penetrate between the webs of the fixed section so that the coupling claw can engage under the longitudinal edge on the fixed section. The first foot may have a guide pin projecting downwards that is adapted to engage between the webs of the fixed section with little clearance. The first foot may be pivotally mounted on the seat along a transverse horizontal rotational axis in a manner allowing small movements of the first foot perpendicular to the transverse horizontal rotational axis. The coupling lock may further include a second jaw part and the first and second jaw parts may be arranged on either side of the fixed section. The coupling claw of the first jaw part may project substantially horizontally towards the second jaw part and the coupling lock may be adapted so that the fixed section is clamped horizontally between the first and second jaw parts when said coupling lock is in its locked position, thereby preventing longitudinal movement of the seat. The coupling lock may be adapted so that the second jaw part does not interfere with the fixed section when the coupling lock is in its withdrawn position, thereby enabling vertical separation of the first foot from the fixed section. At least the first jaw part may comprise teeth arranged toward the fixed section and the fixed section may have complementary teeth which engage with the teeth of the first jaw part to prevent longitudinal sliding of the seat when the coupling lock is in its locked position. The second jaw part may also be movable during movement of the coupling lock between its locked and withdrawn positions. The second jaw part may comprise an additional coupling claw which projects substantially horizontally towards the first jaw part and which is engaged under an additional longitudinal edge belonging to the fixed section when the coupling lock is in its locked position. The second jaw part may be sufficiently separated from the fixed section when the coupling lock is in its withdrawn position so that the coupling claw of the second jaw part does not interfere with the fixed section during vertical separation of the first foot and the fixed section. The second jaw part may comprise teeth arranged toward the fixed section and the fixed section may have complementary teeth which engage with the teeth of the second jaw part to prevent longitudinal sliding of the seat when the coupling lock is in its locked position. The coupling lock may have a sliding position, intermediate between its locked and withdrawn positions, where the first and second jaw parts are sufficiently separated from the fixed section to enable longitudinal sliding of the seat, but where at least the coupling claw of the first jaw part protrudes under the longitudinal edge of the fixed section.
In some embodiments, the seat assembly may further comprise a second guide rail including a fixed section which is intended to be integral with the vehicle floor and which extends in the longitudinal direction. The fixed section of the second guide rail may comprise two opposite longitudinal edges which protrude laterally from the fixed section of the second guide rail. The seat assembly may further include a second foot which comprises a coupling lock and the coupling lock of the second foot may include first and second jaw parts which are arranged on either side of the fixed section of the second guide rail and which extend downward from the second foot to form respective coupling claws that project substantially horizontally toward the fixed section of the second guide rail. The coupling lock may be movable by the control device between a withdrawn position where the first and second jaw parts of the second foot are sufficiently separated from the fixed section of the second guide rail to enable vertical separation of the second foot from the fixed section of the second guide rail, a locked position where the coupling claws of the first and second jaw parts are engaged respectively under the two longitudinal edges of the fixed section of the second guide rail and where the fixed section of the second guide rail is clamped horizontally between the two jaw parts of the second foot, thus preventing longitudinal movement of the seat as well as vertical separation of the second foot from the fixed section of the second guide rail, and an intermediate position where the two jaw parts of the second foot are not clamped against the fixed section of the second guide rail and when the coupling claws of said first and second jaw parts are protruding under the longitudinal edges of the fixed section of the second guide rail, thus enabling longitudinal movement of the seat but preventing vertical separation of the second foot from the fixed section of the second guide rail. The fixed section of the second guide rail may be arranged to enable sliding of the coupling claws of the first and second jaw parts under the two longitudinal edges of said fixed section of the second guide rail.
In still further embodiments, the seat assembly may further comprise third and fourth feet that connect on the respective fixed sections of the first and second guide rails and which may be assembled in a removable manner respectively on said fixed sections. Each of the third and fourth feet may comprise a coupling lock including first and second jaw parts which are arranged on either side of the corresponding fixed section and which each extend downward from the corresponding foot as far as a coupling claw which projects substantially horizontally towards the fixed section. The coupling lock of each of the third and fourth feet may be movable between at least a locked position, where the coupling claws of the first and second jaw parts of the coupling lock protrude respectively under the longitudinal edges of the corresponding fixed section, thus preventing at least vertical separation of the corresponding foot from the corresponding fixed section, and a withdrawn position where the first and second jaw parts of the coupling lock are sufficiently separated from the corresponding fixed section to enable vertical separation of the corresponding foot from the corresponding fixed section. The fixed section may have a T-cross section comprising two horizontal branches which constitute said longitudinal edges. The fixed section and the first and second jaw parts of the first foot may have cam surfaces adapted to engage together for temporarily moving the coupling lock to its withdrawn position when the seat is engaged vertically on said fixed section. The seat assembly may further include a guide rail lock which is movable between a locked position where the guide rail lock engages with the fixed gection to prevent longitudinal movement of the seat and an unlocked position where the guide rail lock does not interfere with the fixed section. The guide rail lock and the coupling lock may be connected together by coupling means adapted so that when the coupling lock and the guide rail lock are both in their locked positions, at least the first jaw part is clamped against the fixed section and so that when the guide rail lock is moved into its unlocked position, the first jaw part is sufficiently separated from the fixed section released to enable longitudinal movement of the seat, the coupling claw remaining engaged under said longitudinal edge of the fixed section. The guide rail lock and the coupling lock may be connected together by coupling means adapted so that the guide rail lock is in locked position when the coupling lock is in its withdrawn position and so that the coupling claw of the coupling lock is engaged under the longitudinal edge of the fixed section of the first guide rail when the guide rail lock is in its locked position. The guide rail lock may be controlled by the control device and a transverse control shaft may be pivotally mounted on the seat, and a guide rail control cam may be fixed on the transverse control shaft. The guide rail control cam may control the guide rail lock.
In some embodiments, the seat assembly may further include a second guide rail having a fixed section which is integral with the vehicle floor and which extends in the longitudinal direction. The fixed section of the second guide rail may comprise a longitudinal edge and the seat may further comprise second, third and fourth feet. The second foot may be removably assembled on the second guide rail in correspondence with the first foot, the third and fourth feet may be removably connected in mutual correspondence respectively to the first and second guide rails, and each of the second, third and fourth feet may include a coupling lock which is movable between a locked position where said coupling lock engages with the corresponding guide rail to prevent removal of the seat from the first and second guide rails, and a withdrawn position where the coupling lock does not interfere with the corresponding guide rail and enables the seat to be removed from the first and second guide rails. The second foot may further comprise a guide rail lock which is movable between a locked position where the guide rail lock engages with the second guide rail to prevent longitudinal movement of the seat and an unlocked position where said guide rail lock does not interfere with the second guide rail and enables longitudinal movement of the seat. The seat may further comprise first, second and third control parts which are actuatable by a user. The first control part may be adapted to move the coupling locks of the first and second feet and the guide rail lock simultaneously into their respective withdrawn and unlocked positions, the second control part may be adapted to move the guide rail locks of the first and second feet into their unlocked position, and the third control part may be adapted to move the coupling locks of the third and the fourth feet simultaneously into their withdrawn positions. The coupling locks of the feet may be resiliently assisted to their locked positions and at least the coupling locks of the third and fourth feet may be adapted to enable free longitudinal movement of the seat when the coupling locks of the third and fourth feet are in their locked positions.
In some embodiments, the seat assembly may further comprise an additional foot that is removably connected to the first guide rail by a coupling lock which is pivotally connected to the additional foot about an additional jaw rotation axis, which is parallel to the longitudinal direction. The jaw part may extend downward from the additional foot to a coupling claw and the coupling lock of the additional foot may be movable between a locked position where the coupling claw of the additional foot engages under the longitudinal edge of the fixed section, thus preventing vertical separation of the first foot from the fixed section, and a withdrawn position where the coupling lock of the additional foot enables vertical separation of the additional foot from the fixed section. The additional foot may further comprise a flexible sliding pad which rests on the fixed section and which is adapted to hold the coupling claw of the additional foot in contact under the longitudinal edge of the fixed section while the seat is not occupied by a passenger, and to be compressed when the seat is occupied by a passenger so that the coupling claw of the additional foot does not interfere then with the longitudinal edge of the fixed section. The coupling claw of the additional foot may be covered at least partially by a lining of flexible material which is adapted to come into contact under the fixed section while the seat is not occupied by a passenger.